Shaheer Sheikh says he faced financial woes before Mahabharat, took up photography for sustenance

Television actor Shaheer Sheikh talked about facing financial woes after the show Navya…Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal went off the air in 2012. He took up photography to sustain himself until the show Mahabharat came his way.

Shaheer will soon be seen in Pavitra Rishta 2.0 alongside actor Ankita Lokhande. He is stepping into the shoes of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who played Manav Deshmukh in the original Pavitra Rishta. The show will begin streaming on Zee5 on September 15.

During an interview with Zoom, Shaheer talked about his financial struggles early on in his career. “Of course, there was a big gap between Navya and Mahabharat when I had switched to photography. I started doing photography,” he said.

“I used to do folios for my friends because there were few projects which were getting delayed. There was almost one year span where I was only doing auditions and roaming around. So, I think that was the phase between Navya and Mahabharat,” he added.

Also see: Step inside Shaheer Sheikh and Ruchikaa Kapoor’s home with outdoor bathtub, watch room-by-room tour

Previously, in an Instagram post, Shaheer talked about taking up Pavitra Rishta and how he was ‘reluctant’ to replace Sushant. “Then I thought, knowing Sushant he was one to take every challenge head on. And so I decided that while it is scary to step into his shoes & live upto audience expectations… it is scarier to NOT even try. And so I did what I felt he would do, if he was in my position. I took the challenge,” he wrote, adding that he will give the show his all.

Meanwhile, Shaheer and his wife Ruchikaa Kapoor welcomed their first child, a baby girl, earlier this month. Talking to Hindustan Times about the kind of father he would be, he said, “I might spoil my child. But I also know that I will never force my thoughts or views on my child.”